If You Could See What I See
by FiktionalParadox
Summary: Post AC...The gang prepares to have a reunion for New Year's Day...Tifa and Cloud end up alone at 7th Heaven for a few days...what will happen? Find out... [A CloTi fic, rated K for now]
1. In My Time of Need

**Chapter One:**  
In My Time of Need

**A/N:** I picked one of my favorite metal songs by Opeth as the title of this chapter and it's a coincidence that it kind of fits the theme of what I'm writing about...but yeah, please R&R, let me know your thoughts/opinions/suggestions of this chapter, as it's my first stab at a CloTi fic, let alone my first try at a Final Fantasy VII (Post AC) fic...thanks.

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Slowly opening her light amber eyes, Tifa Lockhart felt the warm, soft covers protecting her body from the cold air. Lightly sighing between her slightly opened lips, she stood up and began making her bed, double checking the sheets for any unwanted creases and making sure the comforter was not hanging over more on one side than the other. Only clothed in her large, black T-shirt and ankle socks she threw on at the last minute the night before, with her undergarments underneath the shirt of course, Tifa shivered a little as she noticed that the heater was not on and scowled under her breath.

_(Why does Cloud keep changing the temperature on the heater to a lower setting late at night? My God, what is he, a polar bear? I keep telling him to keep it on 71 degrees but noooooooooo, he just HAS to sett the temperature to the low 60's...I hope Marlene & Denzel aren't freezing to death from the air...I'll check on them after I brush my teeth, can't have anyone thinking about my breath instead of me now can I?)_

After doing so, Tifa quickly squeezed into her pair of black pajama pants and matching slippers so as to not appear almost naked in case others were walking around 7th Heaven. Quietly and slowly, Tifa closed her bedroom door and began stepping down the hallway to Denzel and Marlene's room, with the expectation of the two either sleeping soundly or at least getting ready for the last day for going to winter camp before New Year's Day.

Tifa smiled a little, happy to see them having a good time not just at school but also at 7th Heaven, their bar/home. It had been a few months since having to deal with Sephiroth, Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz; not to mention the other monsters Tifa and the gang had to get rid of. For once, Tifa felt more relaxed than ever; she almost felt as if she were an ordinary citizen living in Edge, not a person who had helped save the world not once, but twice.

The martial artist also noticed Cloud opening himself up a little more, even though he still showed characteristics of an introverted personality. He was also doing less time with his delivery service, often commenting that it was putting a little stress on himself "having to deal with numerous deliveries every day", the number of customers increasing slowly but steadily.

Tifa stood in front of the children's bedroom door, listening for any noises first before knocking on the door.

"Marlene? Denzel? It's time to get ready to eat breakfast before the bus gets here!"

"..."

"..."

_(Hmmm...I wonder where they went to? Maybe Cloud knows...but wherever it is, it must be warm...I don't blame them for leaving, I know I couldn't handle staying in this cold place any longer myself, especially with Cloud controlling the temperature around here...)_

As she began to climb down the narrow stairway to the bar area, Tifa's nose quickly picked up a few familiar scents.

_Bacon? Eggs? And...pancakes? But Marlene and Denzel can't cook yet, not at least without me watching them...no, it couldn't be?_

Suddenly spotting the recognizable few tall, blond spikes rising from the top of the 23-year old male's head standing behind the kitchen counter with a spatula in his gloved hand, flipping a pancake over in the pan in front of him, Tifa almost chuckled in amazement, covering her mouth as she began to almost think in a 'no way this is happening' attitude. She had noticed that Marlene and Denzel were fully dressed and already ready to go, the both of them sitting at the counter, eating their breakfast that the man standing before her had prepared.

"Mr. Cloud Strife, this is unlike you! Cooking breakfast for us like this!"

"Good morning Teef. I know what you're thinking, but you were still asleep so I decided to cook breakfast this time...and I got Marlene and Denzel ready to go..."

"I see..."

"...His pancakes are great Tifa!" Marlene exclaimed with her mouth partially full, putting a dabble of syrup on her golden pancake. She began to cut it with her knife and fork exactly the way Tifa showed her, Denzel doing the same as he took a break to take a sip of his orange juice.

"Yep!" Denzel added as Marlene took a minute to hug Tifa and returned to her seat.

"But the bacon needs more work, it's a little hard."

"I heard that Marlene..."

"I'm just kidding Cloud, you know I like your food or I would've told you earlier!"

"I'm glad you took over for me Cloud, I was so tired from last night..." Tifa almost felt her face feeling warm and ready to blush, realizing that what she said had somewhat of a double meaning. She also felt a little embarrassed, being the only one not dressed to go outside.

"You're welcome Teef," Cloud turned the stove off, putting a few pancakes on a plate before handing them to his childhood friend. "I saw how busy the place was last night. But you deserve the few days off before and including New Year's."

"Yeah I need it, and I'm glad Barret will be able to pick up the children and babysit for us while we get the place ready for our reunion. Oh my God, Cloud, it was great seeing them for Christmas, we hadn't seen them in a while..." Tifa stopped herself, feeling that she was going off at the mouth. She poured only a little bit of syrup for herself, keeping to her steady diet and making sure she didn't go over her daily calories intake to maintain her weight.

"Yeah...I actually missed Barret calling me Spike...and Cid smoking his many cigarettes and complaining to Shera about his tea...also Vincent...even Yuffie too, even though we aren't really that close...but she can be quite a help at times..."

The sound of the bus' horn made the four realize that Marlene and Denzel had to leave for school. Giving a few hugs to Cloud and hugs and kisses to Tifa, the two children departed with their backpacks in hand to the school bus, saying their goodbyes before closing the front door. Noticing the silence humming in the air of 7th Heaven, the two adults stared at each other as if they were communicating with their minds through their eyes.

"Well..." Tifa got up on her tip-toes and began to slowly rise up and down, a habit she has had since childhood. "...for the next four days, we're here by ourselves Cloud...no customers to deal with for the both of us..."

"..."

"..."

"Teef..." Cloud broke the silence between the two of them.

"Yes?"

Cloud sat down behind the counter, directly facing Tifa and looking deeply into her eyes.

"We've known each other for a long time...and...I know that we've been through a lot together, ever since we were children. No matter what happened to either of us, I'd do my best to be there for you and protect you, I promised I would..." Cloud's Mako eyes widened a little at 'I promised' as Tifa nodded to let him know she was listening, and she was indeed, knowing Cloud rarely had moments like these where he would express his feelings to anyone, let alone her. "So..."

"...Yes Cloud?" Tifa moved a few strands of hair away from her eye, thinking she had an idea of what Cloud was going to say.

"..."

"Cloud, you can tell me!"

"Well, I've been thinking for a while now and...lately...I've been talking to Aerith at the church and..."

The word 'Aerith' made Tifa a little uneasy, feeling her heart shudder and almost skip a beat. Feeling her face get longer, she looked away from the man's gaze, almost knowing that her eyes were about to let loose with tears.

_(No wonder he's been so happy lately...cooking and all that...)_

"Aerith huh...?"

"Yeah, bu-"

"Cloud, it's okay...you don't have to tell me anything else..." Tifa turned her body away from Cloud, not letting him see a tear begin to fall down her right cheek. She knew deep down in her heart there was someone else, but Aerith...? Tifa realized she had to face the music and accept Cloud's stance with Aerith. Tifa thought that Aerith and Zack had returned, but never had she thought that Aerith could've just been close friends with Zack and still had feelings for Cloud.

_(I guess I thought wrong...)_

"Teef..."

"Cloud! It's okay! I have nothing against you being with Aerith..." A few more tears began to flow faster down her face, Tifa trying as hard as she could not to sob out loud and hide the sadness in her now soft spoken voice. "If it makes you happy, then I feel happy for you too."

_(Wow...Teef is very selfless...she's always been that way...)_

"Tifa...you don't understa-"

"I DO CLOUD!" Tifa shouted, finally turned to face the man known as Cloud Strife. She could feel a bit of anger growing in her heart, even though she did not want to become angry at Cloud, always remembering all the wonderful things he's done for her as well as the rest of the group. "I DO understand! It's ALWAYS been about Aerith from the beginning, hasn't it?! Just admit it Cloud Strife, you love Aerith!"

"Teef..."

Her shout from the final 'Aerith' almost gave off an echo, her eyes still looking deeply into Cloud's. Various memories of herself and Cloud from childhood to the current day began to fly through her head, almost making her explode with a loud cry of sadness. Cloud began to walk over to Tifa's sobbing figure, only a few inches away from her face, a small smile forming on his lips.

"No...what I was trying to say was..." Cloud put a hand lightly on the side of Tifa's face, his voice remaining low and calm as he felt it was time to let out the final conclusion his feelings had reached.

"I love YOU, Tifa."


	2. Unbelievable

_**Chapter Two:  
**Unbelievable_

**A/N:** It took me longer than I thought, but I finally finished this chapter, I was stuck in a rut for a while. By the way, much thanks goes out to zinedinezidane2662 for taking time out to R&R chapter one! I'll end this A/N now by saying that as of right now I feel like I'll be keeping this fic going a while longer or at least finish it off with an epilogue if I end up getting stuck, but the epilogue idea has a slim chance of happening. Anyway, I hope you enjoy chapter two...please R&R and let me know your thoughts/opinions/suggestions/whatever else you've got on your mind of this chapter. Thanks!

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_(It felt like yesterday was a dream..._

_No, I take that back..._

_More like **a nightmare**..._

_I couldn't believe what Cloud had told me...I had always been waiting for that moment since we were little in Nibelheim, and when the time finally came for my turn to tell my feelings to him, my stupid mouth wouldn't say anything..._

_I hated that moment so bad..._

_If I had a second chance to go back into the past to tell him those same three words he told me..._

_**"I love you."**_

_I would right now._

_I still remember when I saw him looking deeply at me with the usual calm, relaxed glow the Mako always gave off in his eyes, as if he was waiting for me to say the same back at him. but I was just caught completely off guard. I've been able to make my feelings known before to anybody without hesitation, but this was the exception..._

_I just cracked...I broke down, cried, and left...I feel so embarrassed about what I did...I ran upstairs, still crying my heart away...I also remember him yelling after me as I locked the door, leaning with my back against it, acting foolish...I could hear his steps outside, and the booming sound of his fist knocking on my door, but I still continued to act like an insecure fool...I just couldn't get to believing that Cloud was actually saying those things to me.)  
_

"Teef...Teef! TI-FA! LET ME EXPLA --!!"

"Cloud...PLEASE...just LEAVE ME ALONE!"

"Teef..."

"Please..."

_(At that time, I was so stupid...but..._

_There were so many emotions running through my mind..._

_Joy..._

_Surprise..._

_Sadness..._

_Anger... _

_God, I wish I wasn't so surprised, upset, and embarrassed that morning...I feel so horrible...I don't know how I can even begin to approach Cloud, let alone talk to him, again..._

_I guess I was just upset he still had Aerith on his mind...not to mention, acting closed minded..._

_I mean, don't get me wrong...it isn't that I dislike Aerith...the two of us actually got along, and I feel we still do even though we haven't talked in a while...I felt that Cloud and I were the only ones who should have a close bond, and not Aerith and Cloud..._

_But no...Cloud and I haven't really spoken since yesterday morning, and for that, I feel really horrible. I had looked downstairs a few hours after what had happened, but he was nowhere in sight...I guess telling him my true feelings at this very moment is out of the question. He's been gone all morning and evening..._

_I guess he took off, just to get away..._

_**From me...**_

_I don't blame him one bit if he decides to never come back...)_

Lying down under the covers in her bed, Tifa's eyes began to feel heavier and heavier, feeling the gentle state of sleep fall over her. Lightly sobbing the last few drops of tears from her eyes, she looked out of her bedroom window, as if the bright, shining stars scattered across the darkened sky could help her to make her wish come true.

_(Cloud...please give me a second chance to explain..._

_...That I love YOU, too.)_

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Her body wildly jerking beneath the covers, Tifa screamed as she sat up, heavily gasping for air. It took her a few moments to realize she was safely back in her bedroom, and no longer a resident of the astral plane. Noticing that it was still late at night by the lack of light in her room, Tifa glanced at her alarm clock, the green illuminated numbers reading "2:15 AM".

_(Thank God it was only a dream...)_

Putting her head back to rest on her pillow, Tifa sighed while closing her eyes, still feeling sleep coming over her. Pulling the covers over her head, she noticed that the humming sound of the warm heat blowing through the vent above her door meant that the heater had turned on.

_(I just wish what happened between Cloud and I was a dream too..._

_It was similar to my dream...only we were in an argument after the children had to go...not a wild and crazy one, but we did shout at each other...and Cloud ended up leaving all of a sudden, saying he needed time alone...he hasn't really been the person to actually argue with someone...  
_

_But I can tell that Cloud wasn't really going out on his daily "walks" before and after work for the delivery service to get some "fresh air"...I'm sure he went out to meet Aerith at the church during his free time..._

_All he had to do was tell me that he wanted to be with her, and I would understand...I may not like his decision, but I'd understand and let him be with her...__  
_

_God I wish I had another chance to talk to Cloud...__because from deep down in my heart...)_

"...I know that even though I want to be with Cloud, I just want him to be happy...**With**, or **without**, me..."

"Teef...I only want to be with you..."

"CLOUD!?!"

Tifa almost threw the comforter completely off of the bed, slipping from beneath them to stand up on the opposite side of the room. She immediately began eying Cloud standing in the middle of the doorway, his muscular silhouette closing the door as he began to approach the twenty-two year old martial artist in front of him.

_(I forgot...he also has the key to my room, and I have the key to his too...but wow...the Lord really DOES work in mysterious ways...well...here's my second chance...)  
_  
"Teef, like I was trying to say before...Aerith and I are only close friends...for a long time I've had strong feelings, for YOU..."

"Cloud, I...I..."

Tifa saw that the only feature she could recognize of Cloud in the darkness was the slight glow from his tall, spiky hair and the distinctive yet mysterious glow his eyes gave.

"Tifa...about this morni -"

"...I love you Cloud..." She could feel an enormous amount of tears welling up under her eyes as she ran over to him, wrapping her arms around him in a warm embrace as she could feel her voice about to give out. "I really do! I'm sorry about this morning too!"

_Wow...how can she read my mind like that...?_

"I love you too Tifa..." He lifted her chin to look deep into her eyes, before giving her a warm, passionate kiss on the lips, the moment Tifa had long been waiting for.

_(I always have...)_


End file.
